Page 23 of Home Between Homes

Just as our feet met, so did our eyes.

“If you don’t mind,” I said, pushing my soles deeper into his. “The floor is pretty cold, but your feet aren’t.”

“O-okay.” His shoulders pulled up to his ears for a moment before relaxing as he leaned back in his chair. “Of course.” He stretched out his legs, his feet now supporting mine, and as we settled like this, he blushed with a hint of a smile.

I had five more spoons of soup to go, and while I finished them, we sat there, enjoying the warmth of each other’s touch. As soon as I was done, I pushed the bowl to the side, leaning against the backrest and copying his posture.

“You know...” Jack glanced up at the ceiling as if he needed a moment to decide whether or not to say what was going through his mind. “...there are more effective ways to keep you warm when you’re cold.”

I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. “Like what?”

Now, it was his turn to copymyposture. He also leaned forward, his right hand next to mine. His fingers drummed the table three times before he turned it over, palms facing up.

What was that but an invitation?

I brought my little finger closer to his, and he met me halfway. Our fingertips tapped against each other, radiating warmth, as he had promised.

This wasn’t just us reconnecting after college. This was us exploring all the possibilities and enjoying the fact that we had time to do so because we had nowhere else to be.

The hum of the ventilation system constantly blowing warm air into the room got loud for a moment before it died down, along with the under-cabinet lights.

A short beep echoed through the house as everything came on for a second before shutting off.

The house went silent, only the wind howling outside.

We sat there for a moment, still staring at our hands before our eyes met.

“We can’t catch a break, can we?” Jack let out a reluctant sigh before sitting up, pulling his feet and hand back, and fumbling for his phone in his pants. His face went dark as he looked at it. “This is not good. The signal’s gone, too.”

“Don’t you think the power will be back on in a minute?” I said, still holding out my hand, hoping to continue what had begun so beautifully.

“We should wait a little before we panic, yes, but this is not Ashbourne. If the blizzard knocked down a few power lines, we could be without electricity until the weather clears.”

“Wait. Until it clears? They said it would take at least twenty-four hours.”

Jack raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Or longer.” His chair scratched the floor as he pushed it back and stood up. “I’ll call Dany. He will know if we should prepare or not.”

His concern spilled over and made me stand up as well. “How are you going to call Dany without a signal?” I asked, following him into the living room.

He picked up the landline receiver and brought it to his ear. “Nice. Thank God these old people stick to their ways.” He looked at me. “The landlines are powered separately.” He pulled out his smartphone and scrolled through his contacts. When he found Dany, he punched the number into the old buttons on the McCormac’s house phone.

The speaker was so loud that I heard the ringing three feet away.

“Hello?” A male voice answered after half a minute.

“Hey, Dany, it’s Jack.”

“You still have a signal?”

“No. I’m calling from the McCormac landline. I’m snowed in here with...” He eyed me. “...their dog sitter.” He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and wrinkled his nose as if to apologize for not delving deeper into who I was.

“Thank God,” Dany replied. “I was afraid I’d have to come get you. Laura’s on the other line with the power company. They haven’t confirmed it yet, but I’m sure it’s that damn pole next to the Handerson’s. If that turns out to be the case, the power will be out for at least twenty-four hours, I tell you. But if you’re at the McCormac’s, you should be fine. They have a fireplace, don’t they?”

Jack turned and looked at it as if he hadn’t dusted it this morning. “Uh, yeah.”

“Have you or the dog sitter ever lit one of these?” Dany asked.

Jack looked at me and opened his mouth, but before he could ask, I shook my head. He gave me a quick smile before turning away to answer Dany. “Noah says no. Does my experience with bonfires count?”

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